April 13th, 20200DEARBORN - The Arab American News spoke to Dr. Joneigh Khaldun on Monday morning about the state of COVID-19 in Michigan. Khaldun is the chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
Many in the state may now be familiar with Khaldun, who joins Governor...
April 10th, 20200LANSING - The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) announced that the state has received agreements from nearly all of the state’s health insurance companies to waive cost-sharing, including copays, deductibles, and coinsurance for coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and treatments. The Whitmer Administration and...
April 9th, 20200DETROIT - When Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hadidi, a physician specializing in pulmonary intensive care, noticed there was a drastic need for medical supplies and food for frontline healthcare workers in southeast Michigan fighting the terrible COVID-19 disease, he rose to the challenge.
Hadidi, who practices medicine at a prominent hospital in...
April 9th, 20200NEW YORK (Reuters) — Americans must resist the impulse to ease social-separation measures at the first glimpse of progress now being seen in the coronavirus battle, state government and public health leaders warned on Thursday, as the U.S. death toll surpassed 16,500.
Calls for heightened vigilance, countering talk from the Trump...
April 9th, 20200LANSING — Michigan has become the first state in the country to gain federal approval for a program that will provide nutritious food to children who were affected by school closings due to COVID-19. The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (P-EBT) provides temporary funding to address emergency food needs and avert financial...
April 9th, 20200LANSING — After signing the latest order extending the previous “stay home” order till the end of April, Governor Whitmer went live to speak on what this new development means for Michiganders. She joined Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Janeigh Khaldoun, to emphasize that staying home and following distancing guidelines...
April 9th, 20200
LANSING - Today, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-42, extending her prior “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order through the end of April. As with the prior order, Executive Order 2020-42 limits gatherings and travel and requires all workers who are not necessary to sustain or protect life to stay home. Executive Order 2020-42...
April 9th, 20200DETROIT - Governor Whitmer announced today a partnership of health care providers providing critical support, staffing and resources at the TCF Regional Care Center, scheduled to accept its first 25 patients this Friday, April 10. The partnership includes Henry Ford Health System, McLaren Health Care, Beaumont Health and the Detroit...
April 8th, 20200WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) announced the federal government’s timeline for issuing direct stimulus payments to individuals. The direct payments were passed by Congress as part of the third coronavirus response bill, the Coronavirus Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The CARES Act...
April 7th, 20200LANSING — Michiganders who lose a job, resulting in a loss of their healthcare coverage or a change in income, may have low or no-cost healthcare options available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Consumers in these situations are not required to wait for...
April 6th, 20200DEARBORN — In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Henry Ford College of Health and Human Services has provided medical equipment and supplies to area hospitals, including five life-saving ventilators.
For its part, local hospitals and health systems are being stretched to their limits to provide life-saving care to people...
April 6th, 20200DEARBORN – Under Governor Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order, residents are reminded that they are prohibited from being able to gather with those who do not live in their household, to reduce the potential spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The governor’s executive order states, with some narrow...
April 6th, 20200WASHINGTON/NEW YORK — On Thursday, the Trump administration looked set to join local officials in advising Americans to wear masks when venturing out during the still-exploding coronavirus pandemic, as the U.S. death toll rose by 1,000 in a single day for the first time.
Speaking at a White House briefing, Deborah Birx, a member of...
April 6th, 20200DETROIT - To ensure that all residents have access to COVID-19 testing, the Coronavirus Community Care Network has opened a drive-thru testing site at the Joe Dumars Fieldhouse at the State Fairgrounds. The entrance to the testing site is at East State Fair across from Bauman Avenue. Beginning Wednesday, April 1, 2020, testing hours for...
April 6th, 20200LANSING - On Monday, Governor Whitmer warned of shortage in major hospitals in Michigan amid a week of increasing COVID-19 cases in the state and said the state is now looking to expand the “stay home” order past its April end-date.
Speaking from her capital office on Monday, April 6, Whitmer said the state was running...
April 3rd, 20200DEARBORN — A strange yet familiar scene plays out at grocery stores in Dearborn on most days, one that has been commonplace since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state reached a critical level.
Customers stand in line outside the double door, waiting for an employee in a face mask and gloves to let them in one at a time. At...
April 3rd, 20200DEARBORN — Al Siblani, the owner of the 3D printer and liquid manufacturer EnvisionTEC in Dearborn, has recently stepped up to contribute to the battle against COVID-19 in the country. EnvisionTec is doing what it does best, using 3D technology to create an essential tool on the front-lines: Testing swabs.
Siblani decided that...
April 3rd, 20200Dearborn/Dearborn Heights — Superintendents from Dearborn Public Schools (DPS) and the Crestwood School District responded on Thursday to Governor Whitmer’s latest executive order, which closes all school buildings for the remainder of the school year, but continues distant-learning and other remote services.
DPS Superintendent...
April 2nd, 20200LANSING — Today Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-35, which orders all K-12 school buildings to close for the remainder of the school year — unless restrictions are lifted — and ensures continuing of learning by setting guidelines for remote learning. District facilities may be used by public school employees and...
April 1st, 20200LANSING - On Wednesday, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-33, which recognizes the expanded scope of economic, educational, and civic dislocation caused by the COVID-19, and equips the administration to address fully the devastation caused by virus. The order also formally declares a state of disaster.
“Since Michigan...
March 31st, 20200WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of Bodysphere Inc’s test that can detect the coronavirus in nearly two minutes, the privately held company said on Tuesday.
The FDA has been rushing to approve tests on an emergency basis and last week approved Abbott...
March 31st, 20200DEARBORN — State Rep. Isaac Robinson (D-Detroit) passed away from a suspected coronavirus infection on Sunday morning at a Detroit hospital. Robinson was beloved and respected by many in the Arab American community in Metro Detroit.
Friends and colleagues called Robinson an advocate ally of working class residents of the Fourth...
March 30th, 20200LANSING — On Monday, President Trump authorized the use of National Guard members under Title 32, United States Code, section 502(f), granting Governor Whitmer’s request for a formal Mission Assignment (MA) to allocate and order up to 3,000 members of the Michigan Army and Air National Guard for up to 90 days to perform humanitarian...
March 30th, 20200LANSING — Michigan has increased its unemployment benefits for all unemployed workers by a set amount of $600 a week for up to four months. The change applies to workers already in the unemployment systems and eligible employees about to apply for benefits. Governor Whitmer announced the new programs for workers on Monday, after...
March 28th, 20200
LANSING - President Trump has approved Governor Whitmer’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration in Michigan. The declaration means that Michigan is now eligible for participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programming to provide relief for Michiganders impacted by the COVID-19 virus and measures to slow...
March 28th, 20201LANSING – Governor Whitmer has signed Executive Order 2020-26 which pushes all April 2020 state and city income tax filing deadlines in Michigan to July, as a part of continued efforts to help Michiganders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Effective immediately, state of Michigan and city of Detroit income tax returns and payments due...
March 28th, 20201LANSING - Due to an overwhelming increase in claims, resulting in heavy website and telephone traffic during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has developed a schedule for workers to file for benefits based on the first letter of their last name. The agency says this new schedule will improve...
March 26th, 20200LANSING — On Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel provided guidelines on how to report and file complaints about individuals and businesses that aren’t complying with Governor Whitmer’s executive orders. The AG office’s Consumer Protection intake line is now flooded with phone calls related to violations of the...
